The Royal Escort
by Algorhythm1
Summary: 5 years after Harmonic Convergence, a plot is found within the Fire Nation royal family that threatens to plunge the world into another 100 years of war. After a failed attempt on her life Fire Princess Azara is forced to go into hiding, faced with the impossible task of foiling the plot by confronting her brother, Prince Zhao, all alone save for her mysterious, stony-faced friend.
1. Chapter 1- Prologue

**Disclaimer:**

 **When I finish an amazing series/book/movie, I have a rather bad habit of cannibalising the world or characters and making my own little stories out of them to quell that awful feeling of emptiness I'm sure all of you have experienced at some point. One of these series was The Last Airbender, however after the release of the Legend of Korra, that story felt too complete to add anything of my own and I also like the pseudo-modern setting brought on by bending alongside breakneck industrial development, so this story is set then. Often I end up stealing plot points from other places for the stories in my head, but occasionally I have the inspiration to make up my own. This one I have finally deemed worth writing down, or at least starting to, anyway. This is my first proper attempt at fictional writing, and I don't even read that much, so constructive criticism is much appreciated.**

 **TL; DR: this story is set after the events of the Legend of Korra, but will not heavily involve any canon characters. I'm just borrowing their world for a bit. With that out of the way, on to the story!**

* * *

Chapter 1: Prologue

The evening sun cast tall shadows into the Ember Island Beach Café. It had been a busy day, but the customers were beginning to dwindle in number. A young man sat reading in the corner, rocking back in his chair to keep the sun out of his eyes. Every time new customers walked in, they would throw him a strange look once or twice, but soon forget about him as they drank their coffee and admired the view. What drew their judgmental gaze was not the man himself; his looks were rather typical of a Fire Nation native: his hair was short, straight and black, cut more for convenience than style; his face was angular, with a chiselled jawline, square chin and cheeks gently curved inward, giving him a slightly skeletal appearance. He was by no means gaunt, however. His resting face was one of general displeasure, frown lines decorating his brow and a downwards turn to the corners of his mouth, the right corner he was working slightly as he read, a thinking habit, the action moving the slight cleft of his chin and deforming the needle-length scar on his cheek. On average, his face was passably attractive, however what raised that average significantly were his eyes: a deep, warm brown, pupils large in spite of the sunlight, half-lidded, as if to show weariness with the world at large.

But no, what drew the errant eyes of the customers was not the reading young man, but the material being read. Strewn about his table was a small collection of four or five women's style magazines, his eyes scanned slowly across the pages, reading with all the solemnity of a monk at prayer. The one he currently held open was entitled 'Fiery Femmes', the cover displaying a fire nation woman posing in… inappropriately modified traditional clothing behind a jumble of subtitles including: "Top 10 HOTTEST fire nation females, as voted by YOU", a title shared by the page he now turned to. His demeanour changed and he flicked quickly through the article, ignoring any text and glancing only briefly at their names, faces and occupations:

"10, 9, 8…" He mumbled to himself.

"Pro-bender… jazz singer… supermodel…"

"4, 3… Princess." The edge of his mouth quirked upwards.

On the page, a young woman lay bent in a rather compromising position on an artfully crumpled white sheet, her smooth skin covered only by a pair of worn, blue fabric thigh-shorts cut even shorter to expose her long, supple legs, fly only half-done to reveal a tantalising glimpse of what may have been underwear. Above those, her bare midriff boastfully flaunted her bodily curves: inward from her hips to her waist and back out to her shoulders and bosom, which was tenuously restrained by a low-cut, red cotton crop top, the thick fabric tied in a large, dangerously loose knot under her breasts. Her face wore a seductive look, with a bewitching glint in her cobalt-blue eyes. Her hair was like his inasmuch as it was black and straight, but hers was shiny and silken, tied by a red ribbon into a ponytail that reached down to her waist, a trend that she herself had started.

Despite all this, the picture did not affect the man in the slightest, his face remaining a mask of apathetic distaste. He had seen many pictures of this kind before. The fire nation's so-called 'PR Princess' made a show of her good looks, posters of her various modelling and singing efforts adorned every other wall in the country, and even some outside. He had heard her songs before, passively, as people listened to her over the radio. He thought she had a good voice, though her tunes and lyrics left much to be desired. "Probably written by someone else" He mused.

In a corner there was another picture of her in more practical, but equally provocative sportswear, gracefully throwing a ball of blue-white flames at an already blackened target, however what the man was more interested in was the short, superficial biography in the top-right of the page, which he began to read:

" _Coming in at number 3 with an astonishing 11,732 votes we have none other than her royal behind- sorry, highness Fire Princess Azara! This scorching she-wolf lit a flame in our hearts earlier this year with the release of her new album 'This Girl is on Fire', which shot straight up to no.1 in the charts. As if that wasn't enough, she further fanned the flames with her searing-hot photo shoot (available exclusively to our readers). But she isn't just a pretty face; this feisty female is third in line to the fire lord's throne and a wielder of the ever-coveted blue fire that comes around once in a royal generation. But bachelors beware! Her enchanting face and fabulous form have been the cause of many broken hearts, but as the cracks in her relationship with pro-bending superstar Ito 'the Inferno' start to show, you may still have a chance!"_

It told the man nothing he didn't already know.

He let out a sigh of exasperation and tossed the trashy magazine onto the table. Taking a drink from his mug, he spotted someone staring from the other side of the room and responded with a wink and a wicked smirk. The offending eyes hurriedly turned away as he put his empty mug back down, his features dropping back to stoic indifference. The serving girl had been taken aback when he'd requested a mug of milk;

"Just milk? Not coffee?" she'd asked.

"Just milk." He didn't go in for drugs, whether it's relaxation from tobacco, confidence from alcohol or simple energy from coffee. That and he didn't really like the taste.

He rose from his seat, returning the magazines neatly to their shelf, paying his bill at the counter and walking out into the seaward evening breeze. The sun was setting. It was time to move.

* * *

Fire Princess Azara slumped, exhausted into the back seat of the car. She'd planned for this little vacation to Ember Island to remain secret, but some genius had let it out and press and public alike had chased her relentlessly all day, she'd failed to find peace even on her family's private beach.

" _Is it true you and Ito had a falling out last week?"_

" _A smile for the camera, your Highness?"_

" _Please marry me!"_

" _Hey, nice tits! Give us a flash would ya?"_

She'd ignored all of them, used to the mixed jumble of photo requests, autographs, sucking up and harassment. While she was adored by a large proportion of the populace, there were those that resented her for one or another reason. Some doubted her suitability as a ruler, thinking her only as some stupid bimbo graced with too much money and influence. Others cursed her inexcusable good fortune; born into royalty, bearer of the blue flame, with a figure and face the envy of every girl this side of Republic City, and the fashion sense to match. In truth, however, she wouldn't have the slightest clue what to wear if it weren't for her agent, Mei-Lee.

"You did well today, Princess." Said the agent as she started the car.

"I'm… sorry that your holiday got wasted, I'll find the idiot that blabbed and make sure they get fired."

"Oh please do" said the princess "but bring them to me first so I can 'voice my displeasure'"

"Certainly, your highness, but I think perhaps tomorrow; it's getting late, and you must be tired after today."

" _Fuck that, I'm half-dead back here!"_ Azara thought, but swearing would probably earn her a telling-off, so she settled with:

"Yeah, sleep sounds good."

As they drove along the beachfront, Azara gazed longingly at the public, she could see families paddling in the shallows, couples sitting close to one another, perhaps stealing a kiss in the romantic light of the setting summer sun, women in fashionable swimwear basking with their friends on the soft, black sand. Such were simple pleasures for an average Joe, but being royalty, she couldn't easily waltz onto a public beach without being swarmed by adoring fans and abusive haters. She didn't have many friends to speak of either.

"We're here, Princess..."

"Princess Azara?" The sudden announcement from Mei-lee jarred her out of her reverie.

"Oh! Yes, I'm coming."

Her family's holiday villa was built in the traditional pagoda style: square and tall, with tiered roofs pointed upwards at the corners. She didn't like it very much though; the bedrooms upstairs were dark, as the only windows were small and built high into the walls.

Fatigue dragging at her every step, she quickly jumped in and out of the bath to cleanse the worst of the hot day's sweat, then slipped into her favourite silk dressing gown. She drowsily mounted the stairs to her chamber, on the **fourth** floor no less and flopped satisfyingly onto the soft sheets of her bed. She chose her bedroom for the notion that at this time of year, the light of the moon shone through the single window, casting an outline on the opposite wall in cool silver. The colour relaxed her, aiding her to sleep. She turned over to face the wall, and froze.

Rimmed in pale grey, a shadow sat in the image of the window. A shadow with hands.

The shadow cleared its throat:

" _Ahem…"_

Now very much awake, she turned over slowly. Slouched against the frame of the window was a man, lazily dangling a leg over the 3-metre drop to the floor. He wore tightly wrapped, blue-black robes, made for stealth, and his face was obscured by a blue _oni_ mask, ripped straight from the stories her great-grandfather Zuko used to tell.

The Blue Spirit spoke:

"Good evening, Princess Azara."

* * *

 **Author's note:**

 **If you've made it this far, thanks for reading! If you can, I would love you to bits if you left a review, any and all criticism will be accepted with open arms. It's not a masochistic thing, though, I just want to improve.**

 **If you have any suggestions for the direction of the story as a whole, don't be afraid to suggest and PLEASE, PLEASE if you have any better names (for the princess etc.) than the one I've chosen tell me what they are. Thinking up the names was a horrible ordeal and I'm not totally happy with it.**

 **I think I'll wait to see how this prologue is received before writing the next chapter. This one is 1600 words and only took a few hours with proofreading.**


	2. Chapter 2- Escape

Chapter 2: Escape

"Guards! _Guards!_ " the princess screamed. No sound came from beyond the door.

"Your guards won't come." The Blue Spirit explained. "They've been paid to turn a blind eye and deaf ear tonight."

He slid nonchalantly off the windowsill, landing the 3 metre drop nearly silently. He started working his way around the sides of the room, paying little attention to the elephant in the middle. With his back now towards her, she noticed a wicked-looking knife hanging in its sheath from a belt at his waist.

"A-Are you here to kill me?" She asked, her voice quavering. She could feel her heart beating its way into her mouth.

The Blue Spirit tuned back to face her. "Hm? No. Someone else has been sent here to kill you. I came to stop them." As he circled around the edge of the room, he searched promising hiding places for signs of another intruder. Princess Azara could only watch as he worked, deftly rummaging through her things. She backed away as he approached the bed, abruptly falling onto all fours to look underneath.

"Ah! There you are. Come out from under there with your arms raised. Slowly now, I don't want any sudden movements."

He raised his head to address the princess, beckoning her towards him. When she didn't respond, he repeated the gesture more urgently, moving to the foot of the bed so she wouldn't need to get too close. The princess obliged, crawling off the bed and backing herself against the nearest wall.

"Who are you? What the hell is going-" She was cut off by another gesture from the Blue Spirit. _Silence_.

From the other side of the bed came sounds of movement. A man stood up slowly with his arms held in the air. This one was unmasked, but to compensate he seemed to be carrying half his weight in weaponry. Every inch of him glinted with metal blades, still the weapon of choice for a quiet kill. The Blue Spirit stepped defensively between him and the princess, her eyes now wide in terror.

 _This man was going to kill her._

Upon seeing his opponent, the assassin cracked an evil smile. The Spirit was half a head shorter than he was, and considerably worse armed. Drawing a knife from the bandoleer at his chest, he sneered:

"I'll admit it: you caught me. But don't get too full of yourself now, all this means is that I'll be taking **two** lives tonight!"

With his last words, he leapt at the pair over the bed, brandishing his blade in a reverse grip. He took a swing at the Spirit, the point whistling past an ear as he dodged towards the centre of the room, luring the attacker away from Azara. The bait was taken and with a roar, the attacker charged the Spirit again. He swung once; dodged. Twice; dodged. On the third swing, the Spirit surprised the assassin by catching his wrist as it fell, killing the stab's momentum like a brick wall. The Spirit paused just long enough to register the confused look on his opponent's face before burying a fist in his gut. Then, with quick, efficient movements, the assassin was flipped onto the floor, rolled onto his front and dispatched with a jab to the base of the neck.

After a pause to confirm his victory, the Spirit stepped away from the assailant's limp body and approached the cowering princess again. He dropped to one knee in an effort to seem less threatening and spoke slowly:

"Look. You are no longer safe here. I know it's a lot to take in and I will explain it to you properly later, but now it's important that we-" He stopped and leapt to his feet, spinning to face the door.

Heavy booted footsteps approached at speed and the door was kicked open. Two guards stepped in, weapons drawn, and turned on the electric lights. One, a woman, held a curved sword of the type traditional to the royal guard; the other, a man, held a more refined stun baton, sparks arcing between the pins at its tip.

 _Safety_. The princess picked herself up and desperately stumbled towards them.

" **Don't go to them!** " the Spirit shouted all too late. Princess Azara ran blindly into the arms of the female guard, the last bastion of normalcy she could cling to.

A bastion that was to be immediately destroyed as the guard grabbed her by the hair and hauled her around, thrusting the edge of her sword against the princess' neck. The rough treatment caused the blade to break the skin and a drop of blood rolled down to her chest, her shriek of pain smothered as the guard moved her grip from hair to mouth.

 _This couldn't be happening_

The Spirit froze in a defensive crouch, right hand behind his back gripping the hilt of his knife, left hand held in front.

"Now now, slow down, I don't want any **sudden movements**!" the guard jeered.  
"I'm sorry to disappoint you, but this is the end for your little damsel in distress! Got anything to say? A heartfelt farewell perhaps?"

Silence. The guard grinned. Leaning close into the princess' ear, she hissed

"Oh dear, looks like your knight in shabby armour never loved you in the first place. Now you get to watch him- What was that?"

Failing to notice the Spirit twitching his free hand, both guards turned to look at the source of the loud crashing noise. A vase had fallen off the dressing table.

No sooner than they'd looked away, the Spirit shot into action. In one motion, he drew his knife and launched it point-first at the female guard. It buried itself to the hilt in her forearm, a spatter of arterial blood squirting onto the princess' face. The guard screamed, dropping both her sword and her captive, collapsing to her knees in a fit of pain. Wasting no time, the Spirit ran forward to confront the male guard. The baton swung at him, crackling like a firework, but it hit only air. The guard didn't even get a second chance, as he was grabbed by the forehead and slammed into the doorframe. The Spirit lifted the baton out of his opponent's hands as the body crumpled to the floor and after 2 steps, he brought the pins down between the shoulders of the remaining guard. With a flash and a crack, she too fell.

The Spirit cast the baton aside and inspected the woman's arm: blood was seeping around the edges of his blade in time with the beating of her heart. Swiftly, he tore a strip of cloth from his robes and wrapped the area around the blade, then, he removed it, quelling the flow with more wraps of cloth. The crude dressing wouldn't last long, but he imagined the bodies would be found soon. With his fight properly over, he turned towards the princess. She had pressed herself into a corner, her chest heaving, the hyperventilation making her dizzy. She was bloodied, terrified and completely useless. Crouching down, he gently laid a hand against her neck, his touch making her flinch.

"I apologise in advance for what I'm about to do to you. I can only hope you'll forgive me later."

With that, his other hand jabbed into her carotid artery like a biting snake. After a brief squeak of surprise, she fell into unconsciousness.

As she drifted in and out of consciousness, she was dozily aware of wind brushing her hair and a strong grip around her shoulders and legs where the Spirit was carrying her, running improbably fast through a sparse forest of trees. Eventually they reached a small clearing and she was laid down on something welcomingly soft. Beside her, the Spirit collapsed onto his knees, his breathing ragged and heavy. Noticing her staring groggily up at him, he laid a reassuring hand on her shoulder, uttering words that felt painfully familiar:

"You did well. Try to get some sleep."

Not in any fit state to argue, she accepted his invitation, closing her eyes and lapsing into sleep; true, sanity-restoring sleep.

The princess woke to the sound of birdsong, light filtered through gaps in the waving canopy overhead, casting long, golden beams of warmth into the misty morning air, which felt pleasantly cool on her face as she sat up. Her memory of last night was hazy and she rubbed her face vigorously in an effort to dispel the last vestiges of sleep. Her hands came away dusted with dried blood and her eyes widened as her memory of last night flooded back.

 _I was almost assassinated… my_ _ **own**_ _guards attacked me!_

Frantically, she scanned her surroundings. The Spirit was sitting against a tree on the other side of the clearing. He had removed his mask, which lay on the ground next to him, allowing her to see his face for the first time. His expression was blank and he was working the muscles of the corner of his mouth, the action playing with the small scar on his cheek. Feeling her gaze, he turned his head to face her.

"Good morning… did you sleep well?" He said after a pause.

The princess wasn't sure whether he was really concerned or just patronising her, but it annoyed her either way.

"What is the meaning of this?" She snapped.  
"Who are you? Where have you taken me? What happened last night? Why… why did my own guards attack me!?"

The man jumped slightly, taken aback by her sudden display of temper. He let out a sigh.

"I can answer most of your questions, but before that, you should clean yourself up and get dressed." He gestured to an area of his face and neck, on her she knew it would be crusted with blood.  
"There's a stream not far from here" He said, pointing her away from him. "And I've put a change of clothes in the bag next to you."

After a moment's hesitation, the princess snatched the bag and walked off, fuming. She plopped down at the bank of the stream, only fifty metres from the clearing and splashed a handful of water onto her face to clean off the blood. Despite it being the middle of summer, the water was shockingly cold, which only served to make her angrier. Opening the bag, she saw he'd packed a change of underwear, a pair of shoes and some other, indistinguishable garments. She put these on hastily, not entirely trusting the man not to be watching. The indeterminate items turned out to be a white, unfastened shirt, not unlike the robes she'd wear under a _kimono_ , which tucked into the waist of a pair of light, fitted trousers. Over this he had provided a red sleeveless jacket, which extended halfway down her thighs like a short dress, slits in the side allowing her legs to move freely. Securing her hair in its signature ponytail and turning a quick cartwheel to test her outfit's mobility, she put on the shoes, a pair of light, flexible plimsolls, and set off back towards the clearing, putting her dirty clothes into the bag. While her new getup was not the most stylish thing she'd ever worn, she had to hand it to the guy: it was one of the most comfortable. She was suspicious however at how well it fit her; almost _too_ well.

On her return to the clearing she had calmed down a bit, but this was ruined when she was asked a stupid question:

"Have you calmed down yet?"

This was asked perfectly innocently, but it was enough to make something in her snap. She threw the bag down by the bedroll she'd slept on.

" _Enough!_ " She shouted.  
"I've had enough bullshit today and I'm sick of it! I want answers! _Now!_ "

After recovering from his surprise at her outburst, he let out another sigh.  
"Ask away."

Relieved that she'd got through to him, she breathed deeply to try and calm down. It didn't work very well.

"First, how the hell did you find clothes that fit me? Have you been measuring me in my sleep?" She began.

"Your measurements are in the public domain, you released them as part of a publicity campaign."

Oh. She'd forgotten about that one. She continued, slightly embarrassed at herself.

"What happened last night? I mean- not what _actually_ happened, but why was there an assassin under my bed? Why did my own guards attack me?"

The man stayed silent a while, mulling over his best response.

"It'll be a very long story. Are you prepared to sit down and listen?"

She did so.

"…"

"Well?" She was getting impatient.

"Your great-grandfather, Fire Lord Zuko, is growing old, I'm sure he himself has realised it, but he has at best a scant few years left on the throne. After he dies or abdicates, there are 4 people in line to take his place: first is his daughter, your grandmother Izumi. After her come your father, general Iroh, then you, his eldest child and finally your brother, prince Zhao. Two months ago I uncovered a plot by your brother to… clear his path to inherit the throne. I don't yet know what he plans to do once he gets there, but there's no way it's going to be good."

Azara felt her stomach turn as she came to a realisation.

"'Clear his path?' Oh Spirits, Father! Grandmother! You need to help them!" She could feel her panic rising.

"Relax! Those two aren't going to be killed. Later down the line, he was going to have them framed for financial crimes. He probably would've done the same to you had you been a bit older."

"But you can stop him! I saw how you fought last night; you can just scare him into stopping!"

The man's expression hardened.

"No. This runs deeper than you think and he's not going to give up that easily. He is working alongside a high-ranking member of the White Lotus Secret Service Branch and after your escape he will have agents scouring every inch of Fire Nation territory, probably acting under the guise of 'bringing you safely back'."

"So what do I _do_!?" Wailed the princess, her voice filled with desperation, tears welling at the corners of her eyes.

"That's where I come in. I'm a fugitive, also wanted by the Secret Service; I've been evading them for years. You'll be traveling with me while we prepare to confront your brother. We will eventually have to, but we can't do it now; security in the palace will be tighter than ever, and in your current state you are… not ready." She could sense he was mincing his words.

He walked over to his bedding and rolled it into a tube, which he secured to a nearby backpack.

"Wait, are we leaving _now_?" the Princess asked.

"The sooner the better." came the reply. "It'll only be a few hours before someone finds us here. And we really don't want to be found by the wrong people."

"But I can't just leave!" the princess implored. "There are people here who care about me; I can't just leave without saying goodbye!"

He turned to her like she'd just said the stupidest thing he'd ever heard, but his expression softened when he saw her face; concerned and afraid.

He paused a moment, considering the dilemma.

"Is there someone on the island you _absolutely_ must talk to before we go?" He conceded.

"…There's one." Said the princess "Mei-Lee, my agent. After Mother died… she's been the closest thing I have." She looked at him with longing in her eyes, fidgeting her hands behind her back.

He returned her gaze for a few seconds, and then relented.

"Fine. After running away, they won't expect us to go back to the town. If you know where this Mei-Lee might be, I can take you there to say goodbye. It'll be a risk, but just this once it's a risk I'm going to take."

Azara's face lit up. She took an excited step towards him and then stopped, realising she was about to try and hug him. Her face tinging red, she looked sheepishly down at the floor.

"Th-thank you, it means a lot to me, er…"

"What?"

"You never told me your name…"

Upon this realisation, he too went a little red.

"Whoops, I probably should've done that first." He said with a nervous laugh.

He stepped towards her and held out a hand to shake.

"My name is Tymon. It's nice to meet you, Azara."

* * *

 **Author's note: on second thoughts, screw waiting around for a reception, I'm having way too much fun writing this down. I don't expect it to ever be particularly popular (also it's only just begun) and perhaps only 1/25 or fewer readers will leave a review, so I'll just keep on adding stuff as I see fit.**

 **As before, if you have any suggestions/character names/criticism please do inform me, any opinion will be welcome, as long as it's constructive.**


	3. Chapter 3- Farewell

Chapter 3: Farewell

Princess Azara pulled her hood in around her face. Tymon had given her a light, hooded cloak and had made her promise to wear it around the town, lest someone recognise her all-too famous face. If asked about it, she was to say that it protected her sun-sensitive skin. She kept close to him as they walked, worried about being seen. After making such a fuss about wanting to say goodbye, she was now having second thoughts and felt _awful_. What should she say? What if Mei-Lee made a scene and some guards heard? What if she was one of them? She looked up slightly and gazed at the back of Tymon's head. Last night, this man had burst into her life and flipped everything upside down and she resented him for that, but he'd saved her life and she resented herself for resenting him.

She felt _**awful**_.

They continued up the road that would eventually lead them back to the family villa. Part of her wanted to push past Tymon and run back to curl up in a feather bed with a warm cup of tea, but another part knew that wasn't possible. Not wanting to speak, she grabbed his arm to stop him in front of a house only a couple of blocks away from the villa. Tymon looked back for a second and nodded, understanding what she meant. He mounted the steps and knocked on the wooden door. After a moment's wait, it swung open.

"Yes? What do you want?" Mei-Lee snapped. When talking to her, Mei-Lee had always been calm and gentle. Azara had never seen her like this.

"Good day ma'am. Might we have a moment to talk?" Tymon tried a friendly approach. It didn't work.

"Haven't you heard!? The Princess has gone missing from right under my nose! I don't have time for idle chit-chat with the likes of you!"

Mei-Lee went to slam the door, but Tymon caught it before it closed. His face fell from a smile to a frown and he tried again; this time his voice was low, slow and threatening.

"Mei-Lee." He growled. "I have someone here that _needs_ to talk to you. Can we come in?"

His tone not one to be easily refused, she nodded stiffly and beckoned them inside. After the door had shut behind them, she turned and spoke:

"Who are you? How do you know my name?"

Back to his normal flat expression, Tymon replied:

"Who I am is not important. As for your name, my friend here told me that on her own."

He gestured to Azara, inviting her to remove her hood. Upon doing so, Mei-Lee's face lit up and she ran forward to embrace her ward, Azara doing the same.

"Princess! I'm so glad to see you safe! What happened last night? A guard went to your room after hearing a noise and found bodies on the floor! Are you hurt?"

The princess felt a tightening in her chest.

"Mei-Lee… I'm really sorry. I've come to say goodbye."

Her carer pulled away to meet her eyes.

"What do you mean?"

"Last night, someone tried to kill me. Ty- …This man saved my life then, but I'm not safe yet. I need to disappear for a while, but I'll be back. I promise." Tymon glared at her as she almost let his name slip. He didn't want Mei-Lee to know, just in case she accidentally told a guard.

The pair broke their embrace. Mei-Lee studied the princess for a moment and then took a deep breath; she'd come to terms with it quickly, thank the Spirits.

"It's okay if you can't tell me. I will support you in your decision. But _you_ " She flashed Tymon a stare that could melt rock. "You had better take good care of her, understand?"

Bowing his head respectfully, he replied, Azara's heart nearly skipping a beat.

"Ma'am, should it ever come to it, I will lay down my life in defence of hers."

"Damn right you will. Now leave before I change my mind. The door at the back leads to an alleyway, if you want to disappear, the main roads will be a bad bet."

* * *

Through the alleys of Ember Island town, the princess and her escort hurried north towards the forests, where Tymon has hidden their supplies. Up until now, Azara still couldn't quite believe all that was happening to her; but after saying goodbye to Mei-Lee, it all felt… real. She was being hunted. As much as the idea of being on the run scared her, she realised she had faced her misgivings and given Mei-Lee a proper farewell. She felt a little better, but her heart was still racing after what Tymon had said. He'd sounded like a prince from the fairy tales she used to read as a child. She'd had relationships in the past, but most of those were arranged for her as publicity stunts, none had shown even a fraction of the devotion Tymon had done in but a single sentence.

As the duo approached the old fortified wall that marked the town border, Tymon halted, the hooded Azara nearly crashing into his back.

"What's wrong?" She asked, peering around him to see.

Looking at the passage through the wall they were headed towards, she noticed people were being stopped, armed men and women going through their belongings. They had set up a checkpoint.

"We won't get though that without getting caught, come on, I'll find us a way over."

As they walked along the length of the wall, she thought about what he'd said. The wall was built during the time of the Great War to resist an Earth Kingdom attack and was easily ten metres high, but he'd used the term 'over'.

"Say, I appreciate that you must've climbed this kind of height to reach my bedroom window, but surely you don't plan to have _me_ to climb over this?"

Tymon flashed a sly smile over his shoulder.

"Of course not! Wait and see."

After walking a while longer, he stopped and checked around for people watching. Satisfied with the desertion, he beckoned her towards him.

"So what's your big ide-a-ah!" Tymon swept the princess off her feet, cradling her in his arms, again like a fairy tale prince, and lowered himself into a crouch.

"Hold on tight!" he said. And then he sprang.

Azara let out a shriek of terror as they flew upwards. Resting a foot for a moment on the top, he then dropped silently into the grass on the other side.

"Now, we run!" he exclaimed; joy in his voice as he dug his feet in and took off like a shot. The acceleration pressed Azara forcefully against his chest until she could feel his heart pounding against her cheek. Once he'd reached the forest, he slowed to a stop, having covered the hundred metres between the wall and the trees in mere seconds. He placed her onto her feet, but her legs had turned to jelly; stumbling to lean against the nearest tree, she turned around to shout at him.

"What the hell was that!?" the princess demanded. "That's not possible!"

Tymon smiled sheepishly. "I was wondering how you might react."

Taking a few steps into the trees, he took a stance and began to slowly turn, bringing his arms around in graceful sweeping motions. Azara felt a breeze gently brush her face, and noticed that leaves were being plucked from the trees and forming into a long cloud, tracing out the path his hands had followed. The whole display was quite beautiful. The princess noticed his face; normally he looked indifferent and displeased, she'd come to accept that, but now he wore a much more welcoming expression: calm, gentle and almost… attractive.

To finish, Tymon quickened his pace, gathering the leaves into a tight ball which spun for a moment between them before dissipating as his hands fell to his sides, snapping Azara out of her daydream and leaving an awkward silence in its wake.

"Do you remember 5 years ago? After Harmonic Convergence a few dozen people began at random to develop the power of airbending. I am one of those lucky few."

"But didn't the air nomads find them all?" Azara did remember. In fact, she herself had gone to Air Temple Island to meet them in a show of support.

"They only found the ones who were unable to hide their power. I didn't have a choice. I learned what I could from books that I found, but most of what I know I taught myself."

"Why didn't you just… tell me?" said the princess.

"Force of habit, I guess. I knew I couldn't hide it from you forever, but I didn't want to seem too scary when we first met."

"Well you failed there, last night you scared me half to death!"

"And if I'd sucked the air out of someone's lungs?"

Azara's mouth fell open. "You can do that!?"

"…is that not normal?"

She shook her head slowly.

"Oh… oh dear." This conversation had not gone the way he'd initially hoped.

"Let's get back to camp shall we? I'll tell you my plans when we get there."

* * *

The pair walked in tense silence the rest of the way to the clearing. Tymon had hoped that Azara would be glad to see he was an airbender, perhaps she'd see him as someone more reliable. Since they'd met less than a day ago, he only saw her regarding him with caution, like someone might look at a tamed platypus-bear or a loaded cannon. _If they would be traveling together_ , he'd thought, _he needed her to trust him_. Later he realised, feeling slightly stupid, that he'd only wanted to impress her; and while he had definitely left an impression, it was not the one he'd wanted.

The silence continued as they reached the clearing and Tymon uncovered the supplies which he'd hidden under a large rock. He fished out a filled backpack and held it out for Azara, which she took after a painfully awkward moment of hesitation. This couldn't go on. Plucking up her courage, she spoke:

"So, uh… mister… Tymon… what's the plan?" Discomfort dripped from her voice as she realised she hadn't properly used his name since he'd given it to her that morning.

Tymon stopped rummaging under the rock turned to face her. His face contorted as he suppressed a chuckle, but eventually he gave in and burst out into raucous laughter. Azara flushed red up to her ears.

"What's so funny?" she demanded, stamping her foot in a childish manner that only served to embarrass her more.

" _Mister_!?" Tymon asked incredulously. "Last I read you're _older_ than me!"

Azara looked at him, dumbfounded.

"Well, only by a few months but still." He giggled.

In the end, Azara couldn't help but smile. Here she was, her life in danger, being cared for by someone younger than her. Mei-Lee would have a fit if she knew. Looking up at his travel companion, Tymon saw for the first time that she was smiling at him. He'd seen the same smile many times in print over his two months of preparations, but in person it was different. She was definitely prettier when she smiled.

 _Crisis averted._ He thought to himself.

* * *

 **Author's note: a bit of a talkie, but everything's starting to kick off now. Next we will hear Tymon's big plan and they will finally set off into the unknown. I think perhaps I'm putting the sexual tension on a bit too early, but I won't know what you; yes you! Mr/Mrs/Apache Helicopter reader! I won't know what you think until you deign to leave me a review. You still have a chance to be the first!**


	4. Chapter 4- A journey of 1000 miles

Chapter 4: A journey of 1000 miles…

As the royal procession donned their backpacks and set off, Tymon laid out his plan.

"Once off Ember Island, we need to travel north-east to the United Republic mainland, there you will have at least a measure of diplomatic immunity, since Zhao's agents won't be able to move freely in Republic territory; at least, without starting a war. Once there, we will move towards the Big City; I have a friend there who will help us."

"And how do you plan to leave the island without being spotted?" said Azara. "We can't just waltz into a harbour and take a boat out, surely?"

In addition to the main tourist resort, there were a number of smaller towns and villages dotted around the island, mostly inhabited by spiteful, xenophobic natives. Each would have its own small port or harbour from which the residents would fish or transport goods. Her brother was no fool, and would certainly have beady eyes watching every one by now.

"In the village we're headed to we're going to see a man called Shavi; he's a big name in the black market. Tell him what you want, and he'll give you a price. If doesn't have exactly what I'm looking for, I'm sure he'll have a boat or something."

At this, Azara frowned. Was there anything that could get one off an island, besides a boat? You could fly in a plane, but Ember Island didn't have an airfield, and even if it did, it's not something they could use discreetly.

Emerging from the trees onto a dusty road, the pair followed it north, eventually passing a sign that read:

Welcome to Nagita:  
Fishing village

As villages go this one was quite large. It had a defined main road that ran eastwards along the beachfront, where several wooden jetties had been built into the sea. Fishing boats, both sailed and powered, drifted in and out of the wooden port, which seemed to harbour most of the village activity, even as the day drew to a close. Azara felt relief at finally reaching their destination. While the shoes Tymon have given her had prevented her getting blisters, her feet were more used to being ferried around in a car and felt very sore after 2 solid hours of walking. Only a combination of sheer pride and bloody-mindedness had kept her from complaining, not wanting to seem weak and needy.

Once in the village, Tymon directed them towards a shabby-looking glass fronted building, the peeling sign overhead called it 'Shavi's Sea Shack Pawn Shop'. A small bell rung as they opened the door and Azara spotted a vacant chair which she immediately pounced on, giving her feet a much deserved rest. She caught Tymon looking at her with amusement and turned her nose up at him. Over the course of their journey here she'd tried asking him about himself, but he'd dodged all of her questions, never giving a straight answer. This had put her in a bad mood.

After a moment, a short, stout man emerged from a curtain behind the counter. Once his gaze settled on Tymon, his face broke into a wide grin.

"Now now, I've been working here 21 years and if I've learned anything, it's that you never know _what_ is gonna come through that door."

"But _this_ " he said, indicating Tymon "is a surprise!"

"It's good to see you again Shavi, you haven't changed a bit!"

The two men shook hands companionably before Shavi pulled Tymon in to whisper to him, eyeing the hooded figure in the chair. Azara realised they were talking about her and tried to ignore it, thinking instead about the way the shopkeeper had treated Tymon. Who exactly was he? He'd called himself a fugitive and here he was talking to a black market dealer like it was nothing. Was he a thief?... Hired muscle?... A murderer? Her train of thought was derailed by a laugh from Shavi.

"I'd heard through the grapevine about this crazy plan of yours but I'd never thought you'd actually go through with it! Now whadd'ya need?"

"First we'll need some food; enough for a few days."

The deal went on for a while as Shavi produced various tinned goods and paper-wrapped snack foods, Tymon reciprocating with various coins and banknotes. This was a very strange pawn shop indeed. In reality, the food came from the black market, which was necessary because that kept it off the books, meaning they couldn't be traced as easily.

"Lastly, I'm looking for an airbender's glider." Said Tymon simply, which was met with a pause by Shavi.

"One of those new-fangled wingsuit things?" asked the dealer.

"No, nothing like that, one of the old staves would do me fine."

Shavi cracked a mischievous smile. "Well it looks like today's your lucky day. A couple months ago an airbender decided to go rogue, joined a group of bandits around these parts. Once the idiots got themselves caught, I managed to land my hands on _this_ little beauty!" With a flourish, he retrieved a staff from behind his store curtain. Pushing a recessed button in the centre caused two pairs of blue fabric wings to spring violently from its body: a large pair at the front and a smaller pair towards the rear. A second press retracted these. "Cost me a pretty penny though…"

"And how many pretty pennies is it going to cost me?" Tymon was playing along with the little game.

"Three hundred, cash."

"For that stick of driftwood? You must be crazy. Two hundred."

This irked the dealer. "Okay, just for you I'll do two-twenty, and I'm taking a real risk here…"

Tymon considered his offer for a moment.

"Tell you what," he said. Reaching into a pocket of his cloak, he slapped two banknotes down on the counter. "I'll give you two-fifty. We walk away with the staff, and you forget we ever came here."

Shavi took the money after a pause and slid the staff over with a puzzled expression.

"Came where, good sir? Are you lost?"

Tymon flashed him a knowing smile.

"Looks like we are. Sorry to bother you _good sir_ , we'll be on our way now."

"Come again soon!"

* * *

Tymon and Azara left the shop and started back along the seafront out of the village.

"Why did you pay him more than he wanted? Isn't the point of haggling to go as low as possible?" asked Azara.

Tymon replied, his voice solemn.

"Shavi has been good to me ever since I went on the run seven years ago. When I came here, he even took me in for a few weeks while I found my footing again. I owe him a lot, giving him a good deal is the least I can do."

"Oh." She didn't want to press the topic any further; when she'd asked about his past earlier today, he'd dodged the question; evidently something very bad had happened that he was now on the run from and he didn't want to talk about it.

"So what's the big stick for?" she asked playfully in an effort to change the subject.

"This?" he said, indicating the staff. "This is our ticket out of here."

Realisation suddenly dawned on her.

"You can't plan to fly away on that thing! What about me?"

Tymon looked hurt on behalf of the staff.

"This 'thing' can easily carry 3 times my weight; we'll fly on it together… Unless you think you're too heavy?"

It was now Azara's turn to look hurt.

"Don't be ridiculous, my figure has won me awards, you know!"

In an attempt to rile him up a bit, she struck the sexiest pose she could manage with the clothes she was wearing, which Tymon turned back look at. He simply chuckled, saying:

"Yeah, I think I can see why." And continued walking

"Thanks for the eye candy, by the way!"

Her plan had backfired. Her face went red, but she found it oddly reassuring the way he could brush off an advance like that. Too many men of his age would have licked her shoes at the merest glimpse of her skin.

She ran slightly to catch up with him.

"So where to now?" she asked.

"There's a secluded beach a few minutes' walk away through the forest. While I've read a book on how these gliders work I'll want to get at least some practice in before going straight into a long distance flight. After that, it'll take probably a couple of hours to fly to Republic territory; we can sleep when we get there."

Watching Tymon practise with the glider was refreshing for Azara. After several rocky starts (one of which had landed him face down in the sand, much to her amusement) he got the glider into the air and within about half an hour he was flying it comfortably, though he stayed high above the surface of the water for fear of crashing. The way he didn't pick it up instantly gave her a little comfort; previously, everything had followed his plans to the letter, and he had emerged from the fight the previous night without so much as a scratch. Watching him struggle in the first ten minutes reminded her that, while he was not normal by any stretch of the imagination, he was only human.

After an almost-crash landing onto the beach, they began to prepare dinner. While Tymon went into the forest for firewood, Azara boiled some water from a nearby brook with her firebending and left the pot in a rock pool to cool down. Once Tymon returned, she lit the fire for him and they drank their fills of the boiled water, re-using the pot over the fire to heat up two cans of the food they'd bought earlier. Of the two cans, Azara got one-and-a-half.

"I'm used to this kind of life, you need it more than I do." He'd said, not allowing her to argue.

The food was bland, but it was better than nothing. To be perfectly honest, she had eaten worse things as parts of diets to keep her slim, since she did little exercise outside of her weekly firebending lessons. To supplement his meagre portion, Tymon munched on a sugary energy bar. He'd offered her one, but she'd declined it. After their meal they sat together and stared out to sea, thinking about the future. About each other. Every time Azara remembered she was now a wanted fugitive she felt a pit form in her stomach, though the feeling was partially assuaged by the knowledge that she was with one of the most experience fugitives in the world. Eventually Tymon stood up and, deploying the wings of his glider, turned to her.

"Right. I'm ready to go whenever you are. Shall we?"

Truthfully Azara had been dreading this moment. She had flown once before in a military plane and remembered it as one of the scariest experiences in her life. She imagined flying without being strapped into a seat would be even worse.

"So how is this going to work?" she asked, stalling for time.

"Well, I'll hang underneath the glider to control it and you can lie on top, there's space to rest your feet on the tailplane, and we can strap the packs to the bases of the wings. You'll just need to find something to hold on to."

As he stood with the glider vertical on his back, she tried holding on to the leading edge of the wings, but her hold felt dangerously insecure. In the end, she swallowed her embarrassment and wrapped her arms around his waist, sliding her feet underneath the tailplane as instructed.

"Ready?" Said Tymon

"Ready." She replied, though she didn't feel it.

For the second time that day, Tymon lowered himself into a crouch, tilting the glider and its passenger horizontal. Azara closed her eyes and gritted her

"3… 2… 1…" and he sprang. Azara tightened her grip around him as she felt the backward pull of their acceleration. The wind jerked at her ponytail and she felt them level off, the acceleration disappearing. She carefully opened her eyes, and couldn't help but laugh. Silver moonlight bounced off the surface of the water below them in a way that was quite beautiful, making her fear of flight all but disappear. Resting her head against the staff between Tymon's shoulders, she gazed sideways, watching the waves as they passed beneath them. For just a moment, she forgot she was running for her life.

Tymon's face by comparison was the embodiment of concentration. He'd like to say he was focusing on the flying, but in reality, his mind was always flicking back to how nice Azara's breasts felt against his back. He punched himself mentally. While it was pleasant, that kind of thinking was a bad idea.

Content to keep to their own thoughts, innocent or otherwise, the pair continued in their flight north-east, towards the rising moon, towards safety.

* * *

 **Author's note: this chapter wasn't as much fun to write as the others, but I think it was necessary to get the ball rolling. As the title may suggest, there will be one more chapter before they arrive in Republic City, and I have a pretty good idea to write in it, but I need to think hard about how to set it up, so it may be a bit longer/later than other chapters. Stay tuned folks!**

 **P.S. still waiting for reviews guys, whenever you're ready**.


	5. Chapter 5- begins with a single step

Chapter 5: …begins with a single step

Azara slumped, exhausted, onto her bedroll. She looked into her pack and groaned; tonight marked their fifth day of travel in Republic territory and their supplies were now running thin. While they ate what little was left, Tymon reassured her that they would reach Republic City by this time tomorrow, but that didn't help assuage her hunger. In an attempt to take her mind off her stomach, she let her thoughts wander to the previous days' events.

On reflection, very little had happened since they'd landed; they'd slept, ate, walked, ate, slept and walked again. To alleviate the boredom of walking, they had talked; Azara had told him about her family and daily life, how hard it was to be rich and famous. In return, he finally started to tell her about his life, but only his early years. He'd lived with his family in a small hamlet in the Fire Nation, only a few houses in total, his father had taught him martial arts form a young age, but apart from that, his childhood seemed suspiciously… normal. He still refrained to say why he was on the run, always skirting around the topic.

By day 2, Tymon still hadn't told her why they were actually heading to Republic City, apart from to see an old friend of his. Tired of being kept in the dark, Azara plucked up her courage and asked him.

"So… who's this friend of yours we're going all this way to see?" she said nonchalantly, trying not to seem fussed.

"His name is Kaito. He's my best friend from when I was younger; I've told you about him before."

She vaguely recollected him sharing stories of hijinks he went on with a merchant's son who visited his village. Since Kaito was always traveling, they didn't see each other much, but they were close friends regardless.

Sensing her second question, he replied before she could ask it.

"He's going to teach you firebending."

She looked at him incredulously.

"What!? But why? I already know firebending; I've been taking lessons from the best firebender in the world since I was knee high!"

Tymon smiled smugly.

"Oh really now? What school?"

"School? I don't know, I took private lessons with Master Li-Dao himself"

"Hong School then. If I recall correctly they teach firebending strictly within the rules of an Agni-Kai, but unfortunately when we get into fights down the line those rules aren't going to apply. Kaito can teach you how to properly use your firebending in real combat." He said this with an air of finality, not wanting her to argue. _She_ had other ideas.

"I can fight just fine!"

"Then how do you explain the night we first met? You were completely useless!"

True as this was, Azara didn't back down.

"That was… They took me by surprise okay? I was tired and wasn't thinking straight! On any other day I would've fought them; Even better than you did!"

She immediately cursed her big mouth. Upon hearing this, Tymon stopped walking and turned to face her.

"Oh really? Then fight _me_. If you can win, I'll believe you."

Tymon promptly wiped the floor with her. Initially he just lazily dodged all the fireballs she'd thrown, but he quickly bored of that, and swinging his leg around, a sharp blast of air swept hers out from underneath her and she landed heavily. Tymon sauntered over and helped her stand, after which she begrudgingly agreed to learn firebending from his friend.

Back in the present, Azara tried to suppress her embarrassment at remembering her humiliation, and was all too glad when Tymon piped up with a question.

"Hey, Azara?" he began.

"What is it?" She replied, expecting something small.

"Do you have a boyfriend?"

Her heart stopped for a moment, but then began racing uncontrollably. _Boyfriend? What was he getting at? Was he applying for the position?_

"I mean, all the trashy magazines I've read said you were going out with some pro-bender, apparently he's a real catch, but in 5 days of you telling me about your life you've yet to mention him once, which seems kinda suspicious.

"Oh, well… I guess I am, sort of…" she replied, feeling slightly foolish for getting so flustered.

"Is everything alright between you two?" Tymon sounded concerned, something he didn't do often.

"No, not really. It's just…" She tried and failed to mince her words "He's the biggest asshole I've ever met. One of my agents said we should start dating because the fans would love it, and they do, but Ito only wanted me for my looks and my status, he doesn't care who I am underneath. To him, I'm just a trophy, as well as a good-looking leg up in the celebrity world."

Tymon broke into a smile, and then simply laughed.

"You know, I don't think I'll ever get used to hearing a Fire Princess swearing like that, he must be really bad, haven't you thought of dumping him?"

"I was going to do it after I got back from my Ember Island holiday, but then you showed up!"

They both smiled at this. In a way, Azara had gone on vacation simply to get away from Ito and their relationship, as well as to celebrate her bir-

She felt a pit form in her stomach. Sitting up in her bedroll, she turned to where Tymon was sitting, slouched against a tree.

"Say, Tymon… What's the date today?"

Tymon looked puzzled for a moment, before counting through the days in his head.

"If we've been traveling for six days, today would be… the eighteenth. Why?"

Azara chuckled slightly, but there was no mirth in it.

"Today's my birthday. I turn twenty today…"

"Oh really? The magazines publish a slightly different date, happy birth-" Tymon stopped as he saw her face. Tears were rolling down her cheeks and her breath hitched in her throat. Over their travels, she had felt pangs of sadness at leaving home. At the time she'd repressed them, but the feeling had gradually built up; her birthday was simply the last straw. Six days' worth of homesickness crashed down on her all at once and tears flowed freely. Without a word, she stood up and walked over to where Tymon lay. Sitting down heavily in his lap, she buried her face into his shoulder, and began to sob, gripping the shirt on his chest tightly.

"Azara, I-"

"Don't say anything!" She spluttered through her tears, cutting him off.

Feeling quite helpless, Tymon put an arm around his shuddering companion. She'd seemed so cheerful over the past six days, but he felt he should have seen this coming.

"I want to go home." Wept Azara, her voice little more than a plaintive whisper through the fabric of his shirt.

On hearing this, a strange feeling washed over Tymon. Moving almost automatically, he pulled her away gently, to see her face. She stopped crying for a moment and looked into his eyes: his dark chocolate irises were tinged with sadness, and tears of his own beaded in their corners.

"Do you want to know a secret?" he began, knowing a reply wouldn't come.

"…I want to go home too… and I know it's really spiteful, but I envy you; you still have a home you can return to."

He met her eyes again; she had stopped sobbing and was now staring at him, teary-eyed. Taking a long, shaky breath, he continued:

"My family has been involved with the White Lotus Secret Service for generations; my father was set to be the next leader… but when the old leader died, there was a power struggle. My father's rival hired a gang of thugs to destroy our village. They attacked during the night; we didn't stand a chance. My parents hid me in a wardrobe and I could only watch as the bandits kicked our door down and… and killed them."

His voice caught on the frog in his throat. He tried to swallow it down, but it crept back up again.

"By morning, everything was gone… Houses I used to play hide-and-seek in; razed to the ground. Pets I used to play with, used to teach tricks; slaughtered. And the bodies… my friends and family that I'd grown up with… burned beyond recognition, too many to bury."

By now he was fighting against the tears, which slid slowly down his face, landing wetly in his lap.

"I was only twelve… and I've been on the run ever since. It's been seven years! I've tried to slow down, find somewhere new to call home, but I can't. People know I'm a fugitive, and so I've always been an outsider, I don't _belong_ anywhere!"

He met her eyes once more, his face contorted in anguish, his proud voice reduced to a hoarse whisper:

"I want to go home too…"

Azara choked up again and with a wail, they embraced. Two lost and broken souls, alone and afraid, their only comfort in that at least they were alone together.

* * *

Tymon woke the next morning looking up at the light filtering through the canopy overhead. His eyes felt sticky and sore and his back was bent awkwardly against the trunk of the tree behind him. He'd made a right show of himself last night, breaking down in front of Azara like that, but just telling her about his past now felt like a huge weight off his chest. Right now however, he could feel another weight on his chest. Trying to stand up, he also realised he couldn't feel his legs; looking down solved both of these mysteries.

Azara lay with her head and arms resting on his torso, sleeping peacefully. Her legs lay across his, cutting off the blood flow past his thighs, which explained the numbness. During the night, his hands had found more comfortable spots to sit: one held her into him, wrapping around her waist and the other rested on the curve of her hips. For a while, he just watched her sleeping there, noting the way her breast rose and fell gently as she breathed and how soft and warm she felt against him. Tears had dried in streaks down her face, which marred her serene expression slightly. Her hair smelt delightful, a mixture of blossom and coconut. Tymon carefully tucked an errant lock behind her ear, out of her face. Absently, he let his mind wander, and it wandered directly into the less innocent section of his thoughts. As if in response to this, Azara shifted in her sleep and Tymon tensed as he felt her weight move from his thighs up to his groin. To make matters worse, he now had a great view down the front of her shirt and her mouth hung slightly open, her delicate lips looking very kissable. He leaned in…

…and stopped himself halfway. What the hell did he think he was doing? Mei-Lee had trusted him, _Azara_ had trusted him with her safety, and all he could think about was sex. This wasn't like him. Perhaps spending all those years alone had deprived him, in more ways than one. Regaining his composure, he reluctantly rearranged Azara and himself into a less… intimate position and waited for her to wake up.

Eventually, Azara's eyes fluttered open.

"Good morning, princess." Came her greeting.

She looked up at Tymon's smiling face. He too had streaks running down from his eyes, which were now puffy and red. She returned his smile happily.

"You look terrible." She quipped.

"Those streaks aren't doing you any favours either." He countered.

"However I may look, I feel great, though it would be better if you'd get off my legs."

On the contrary, she snuggled into his shoulder, feeling his heartbeat against her cheek, and hummed contentedly.

"Can I stay like this? Just for a little bit."

Tymon sighed and relented, turning his head upwards again to look at the leaves.

After seeing Tymon in that state last night, Azara had a newfound respect for him. When they had first met, he had seemed very stoic and impassive, hardly showing any emotion at all; but as they got more familiar, he started opening up to her more, occasionally cracking smiles and sharing jokes. Last night he had practically poured his soul out in front of her and she appreciated that; it showed that he trusted her, and knowing his position he probably didn't trust many people.

There remained one thing however, that scared her about him. Every now and then, perhaps when he was weary, or tired of her messing with him, he could flick his feelings off like a switch, his face reverting back to the stony mask she'd first known. She last saw him like this on day four, when a belligerent drunk on the road had picked a fight with him over taking Azara to his home.

Taking a final, deep breath, she stood up, releasing Tymon from his restraint. He rubbed his legs painfully, feeling the blood seep back into them, along with an unpleasant tingling sensation. Azara went to the nearby stream to wash her face clean and by the time she got back, Tymon had packed up camp and was walking off to do the same. Both now cleansed of last night's tears, they slung on their cloaks and packs and turned to face one another.

"Well then Tymon, shall we get going?"

"Ty…" he mumbled, nearly inaudibly

"What is it?"

"Ty." He said again, louder this time.

"You can call me Ty; all of my friends do."

At this, Azara smiled. Flicking up her hood, she started towards the road.

"Ty it is then."

And with that, the princess and her escort resumed their walking, starting on the last leg of their journey to Republic City.

* * *

 **Author's note: holy character development this chapter was fun to write! I tried to fit in some feels but I'm not sure if I succeeded (things tend to sound a lot a better in my head than written down. I think they need to be read a certain way). Next chapter they arrive in Republic City and finally start the training montage, though I've got a little bit** _ **more**_ **than that planned, let me tell you.**


	6. Chapter 6- Republic City

Chapter 6: Republic City

Compared to the peaceful monotony of the outlying forests and plains, the bustle of Republic City was a welcome change for Azara. She felt much more at home in the city, although usually on the streets she would be accompanied by a cohort of bodyguards. While she was sure Ty would be an ample substitute, she couldn't shake the faint feeling of exposure. It was late evening by the time they set foot within the city bounds and after walking in through the industrial outskirts they were now in the opulent west end of the city centre. The road was illuminated by a combination of street lighting and garish neon signs, pointing them this way and that towards myriad consumer opportunities. Out of her hood, she recognised some of the landmarks they passed: Kwong's cuisine, the upper-class restaurant she'd eaten at on her various trips here; the Avatar Aang memorial statue, striding powerfully into the bay across the water from them; and Avatar Korra Park at the very centre of the city. She'd met the current avatar before: a headstrong woman with little regard for status, she had treated the princess more like a friend, which she had appreciated. Kaito being the son of a merchant, Azara expected him to live somewhere in the large commercial district, but Ty walked unfaltering straight through it.

"Ty, where are we going? Does Kaito live somewhere around here?"

Ty glanced upwards at the palatial, high-rise company headquarters around them; marbled lobbies with extravagant gilded doors returned his gaze. He laughed.

"Kai's family were simple traveling merchants, not some kind of entrepreneurial tycoons. He lives in the ghettos, and we will too."

Azara ran to catch up to her escort.

"We can't stay there!" she protested, "We'll be murdered in our sleep!"

He regarded her for second and then started laughing even harder.

"Where'd you pull that from? Has Mei-Lee told you stories?"

She flushed slightly. He'd guessed right.

Laying a reassuring hand on her shoulder, he smiled compassionately.

"I remember you saying Mei-Lee was like a mother to you, but I didn't think you meant _that_ kind of mother. The place we're going too will be just like Nagita, Shavi's village on Ember Island. Compared to the glamour of the centre, nearly anything else can be called a ghetto."

With that, they headed further into the shabbier parts of Republic City. They passed a number of seedy-looking bars and Ty stopped at one of them, which seemed to function as a hotel as well, almost like a roadside inn.

"We'll be staying here, at least to start with. I have enough money on me to rent a room for a couple of months if necessary and I can get more. Kai will have packed up for the day by now and I don't know exactly where he lives nowadays, so we'll sleep the night and visit his dojo tomorrow."

"Dojo? Isn't he a merchant?"

"Not anymore; He left his parents when he was quite young to make his own fortune. He now works as a firebending trainer, but it's a bit more than that. He finds orphans and other disadvantaged children on the streets, takes them in and helps them rebuild their lives; finding them jobs for example. He does this charitably, with the notion that they'll repay him freely once they've found their feet again; the ones who can bend fire pay him to teach them, though I imagine he'd do it for free."

"He sounds like a really amazing person…"

"He really is. By now, he's made quite a name for himself and richer clients come to learn from him, which is how he keeps the whole business afloat, though somehow I can't imagine he's ever taught a member of the fire nation royal family." He shot her a sly grin.

She pouted in response. "That's because we all get trained personally by only the best in the country!"

Ty chuckled: just the reaction he'd wanted.

"I'll try to get you one-on-one lessons with him as you'll learn quicker that way; but I guarantee you this: by the time we're done here you'll be a better firebender than any of your highborn friends, perhaps even than your _boyfriend_ Mr Ito the Incontinent." He teased.

"He's _not_ my boyfriend… at least, not anymore! I'm through with him!"

Tymon's grin persisted.

"You sound like a character from a radio drama. Come, let's get a room."

With a fuming Azara in tow, he opened the hotel doors.

After paying for their room, the pair went upstairs to inspect it. The single, large window had a view out on to the street, which Azara covered up by closing the curtains, finally able to take her cloak off now that she was out of sight. The rest of the room was lightly furnished, with electric lights, a small bathroom connected by a door, a chair in the corner and a small table next to the singular bed, not big enough for the both of them. Tymon however knew this already, so he laid his bedroll out on the floor and started changing into his sleep clothes. Feeling slightly guilty, Azara piped up:

"Are you sure you don't want the bed?" She asked.

"It's been over a year since I last slept on one, what's another month or two?"

"Oh… It's just that I feel slightly bad taking it for myself…"

He looked at her, irritated; she was making this difficult. She averted her gaze and kneaded her hands behind her back. Eventually, Tymon let out a sigh.

"Fine, we'll take it in turns on the bed. Now get some sleep, you'll want to be fresh tomorrow."

Feeling slightly better, she agreed and joined him in disrobing. Although she'd been doing this for a week now and he had yet to peek at her in her underwear, she still felt uncomfortable undressing this close to a man and did so quickly, slipping under the covers as Tymon turned off the lights and lay down himself.

* * *

Late the next morning, they were stood in front of an unassuming building which Tymon insisted was the dojo they were looking for, only a few blocks away from their accommodation. Before Azara could open the door, Tymon put a hand on her shoulder.

"Wait here for a minute, I'll go in and talk to him and call you in when we're ready."

Not waiting for her reply, he slid open the screen door and shut it quickly behind him, not allowing her a good look inside. After a minute or two, he re-emerged and addressed her.

"Well?" she snapped. His brusque treatment of her had put her in a bad mood.

"He told me to come back after two o'clock. As much as he'd love to talk, he's busy teaching other people right now."

"So that's how he greets someone after not seeing them in years?" Azara sneered. "Some friend he is."

Tymon's expression hardened and he stared raging death in her direction.

"Don't speak like you know him! This is his job; don't blame him for taking it seriously. How would you feel if some random stranger pulled your firebending teacher away from your lesson? Consider the feeling of others for once!"

Both Azara and he stood stunned for a second and his sudden outburst. Tymon collected himself first.

"I- I'm sorry, I shouldn't have shouted at you; it's just… I'm sorry." He hung his head forlornly. He prided himself of being slow to anger but had allowed such a small thing to get to him.

Now realising just what she had said, Azara scolded herself for being so petty. She flashed him her best forgiving smile

"I'm sorry too. I really shouldn't have said something like that. He must mean a lot to you."

"Yeah, I guess he does." After a moment's solemn thought, Tymon picked up again.

"Well, we have 3 hours to kill before you get to meet your teacher, do you want to see what delights the Republic City ghettos have to offer? There are a couple of things I want to show you."

Azara's face lit up. "Can we get food? I'm starving!"

Tymon smiled wryly, back to his normal self. "I know _just_ the place."

* * *

'The place' turned out to be a simple street vendor, selling some sort of noodle dish which customers were eating on stools dotted around the vendor's cart. Tymon bought a portion for each of them and they sat down to eat. Trying to hide her disappointment at her meal, Azara began to eat and her disappointment vanished instantly. This dish was perhaps one of the best she'd ever tasted: the noodles were hand-made and stayed firm without getting soggy in the broth, which was light but meaty and very flavoursome. On top of the noodles various additions had been made, such as slices of boiled egg, lightly seasoned with vinegar and crispy, deep fried pieces of meat. _Eating like this every day would make me fat as a house_. She thought, although she was seriously considering it.

After finishing the huge bowl of noodles, Azara sat back and belched happily, which earned her a strange look from Tymon.

"You know, sometimes I find it hard to believe you… fit in with the rest of your family." He chose his phrasing carefully, seeing as they were in public.

"Well, you know me" she replied cheekily "I'm very much a woman of the people. But really this stuff is amazing! I can't believe what I was missing out on while eating the haut-est cuisine in the world."

"I'm sure your personal chef would be quaking in his boots if he saw you here now!" Tymon mused.

"I'll bet!" Azara didn't remember telling him she had a personal chef.

After their hearty meal, Tymon showed her some more of the ghetto: It had a small library where the street children could learn to read and write for free; many places had people gathered around, listening to pro-bending matches over the radio, cheering for their favourite team; there was even a bustling marketplace where people aggressively peddled their wares. While it was plain to see that this was not a prosperous area, it felt very… homely. For a moment, she lost Tymon and had a short panic before he mysteriously reappeared in front of her and reached his hands behind her neck, drawing her close. She froze and felt a slight blush rise up her cheeks, but after a moment, he stepped away and she realised he'd put a necklace on her. Feeling slightly foolish, she looked down at it. There was nothing fancy about it: it was cast in simple pewter and displayed the fire nation emblem. She opened her shirt slightly and hid it safely there; Tymon had given her a gift, and she felt she wanted to remember this place. From the corner of her eye, she thought she could see Ty glancing surreptitiously down her shirt, but as she looked to check, he was looking somewhere else.

Using the sun to gauge the passage of time, Tymon recommend they head back to the dojo. Once there, Tymon opened the door for them and stopped her in the small antechamber at the entrance.

"Before I introduce you, would you let me take a minute to catch up with him? Alone, I mean."

Azara took her cloak off and nodded, her guilt over what she had said to him returning.

"Thanks, I'll call you in when its time."

As he entered the dojo proper, he bowed deeply, as was customary and turned to face Kaito, who was out of her sight. The greeted each other happily and talked for a while about very little. Azara wasn't listening very closely to what they were saying, but she did try to listen to Kaito's voice. As she'd imagined, he sounded kind and friendly, it was little wonder he was popular. Eventually, she heard the conversation turn to her.

"So you say you've brought someone to train under me?" Kaito asked.

"Yes, it's very important that they learn quickly, so if possible we'd like one-on-one teaching. They're just in the other room now…"

Hearing her cue, she stepped into the dojo, mimicking Tymon's bow as she did. The training room had walls and flooring lined with a firm, rubbery material that was punctuated with scorch marks, presumably some kind of fireproofing measure. Raising her head to face the two men, her mouth dropped open as she caught sight of the most beautiful person she'd ever seen. From the look on his face, it seemed Kaito had too.

He was slightly taller and significantly leaner than Tymon, but that only served in his favour, his pale skin was stretched tightly over toned musculature, which gleamed with a healthy sheen of sweat; his shirtlessness suggesting that perhaps he was expecting a male student. His tousled hair was dyed blonde to the roots, a rugged look which suited him rather well and his facial features were perfectly defined, almost like a statue. Unlike Tymon, he sported no scars on his face, but his cheeks were creased with laugh lines, a testament to his natural smile. His eyes were a soft baby blue, complementing her own and his gaze sent a warm shiver through her.

Almost choking on the tension between them, Tymon cleared his throat and started her introduction.

"Kai, this is Fire Princess Azara, you may have heard about her this week on the news."

Kaito stopped staring for a minute to look at him incredulously.

"I heard some cat-burglar broke into the royal villa on Ember Island and kidnapped her. That was _you_!?"

Tymon replied calmly

"I wasn't a kidnapping, it was a rescue; her brother prince Zhao seeks to kill her to clear the line to the throne. She needs to confront him, but before that, she needs to learn from you."

Kai didn't sound convinced.

"But she's got the blue fire! What could I possibly teach her!?"

"Sure, she can throw a mean fireball if you asked her to, but she hasn't got the faintest clue how and when to fight properly when it comes down to it. She'll need to learn positioning, dodging, countering, movement and reading thereof, feints, teamwork and group countermeasures. I'd recommend sparring with her to begin with and working from there. I'll go over that side and practise my airbending, don't let me bother you."

He wandered off and left the dumbfounded pair to their own devices. After quickly reinstating his shirt, he turned to her confidently and raised a hand, only just managing to stop staring.

"H- Hi…"

She returned the gesture with a stiff smile.

"H- Hey…"

* * *

The first lesson with Kaito was gentle if anything, after a quick sparring match where she failed to land a single hit, Kaito diagnosed that she was reluctant to move and they worked on that for the rest of the afternoon. As the sun was setting, Tymon, who had been blasting a punching bag to shreds from 3 metres away, turned to student and teacher, saying:

"I think that's enough for today, how're you two feeling?"

As much as she was enjoying Kaito's company, Azara had definitely started to feel fatigued.

"I think so too, I need to sleep."

As they were about to leave, Kaito beckoned Tymon over to him, Ty told Azara to go back to the inn without him, which she accepted without reluctance. On her way back, she stopped to look in several shop windows, admiring the sheer variety that was sold on just a single street. At the third shop however, she heard an unfamiliar voice behind her.

"Do I know you?"

She turned to find a small old woman looking her over suspiciously.

"I'm sorry, you must've mistaken me for someone else, I wear this cloak to protect my-"

A knot formed in her gut as she realised what had happened:

 _I forgot to put my cloak back on!_

The old lady continued, undeterred.

"I could've sworn I've seen you _somewhere_ "

" _No_! I mean, we really haven't met before, I'm sure you've mistaken me!" Her voice rose with panic, which worsened as people wandered over to inspect the commotion. A small crowd formed around her until she heard the worst possible thing.

"Hey, I know you! You're that princess what does the singing an' that! My little girl's a big fan; could I get your autograph?"

"I… uh… a-ah…" Azara's voice caught in her throat and she was unable to say anything, she was caught like a squirrel-rabbit in a car's headlights.

Just as she thought she might faint, Tymon burst through the crowd, cloak in hand, and launched into an act.

"Oh Jen my dear, what is become of you? Wherefore do these people trouble you so?"

He spoke with a confidence that was not reflected in his eyes; they were instead filled with desperation and pleaded with her silently:

 _Play along, please!_

She ran to him and wrapped her arms around his neck, hiding her face in his chest.

"Oh Alec please help! These poor people have me confused with someone else! Tell them to leave me be!"

Tymon returned her embrace, holding her into his body protectively while casting a scornful eye over the bewildered masses, every bit the chivalrous lover.

"Can you not see you bring my lady grief!? Begone, and plague us no longer!"

Grudgingly, the crowd dispersed, leaving the pair to their amorous display. Breathing a shaky sigh of relief, Tymon threw her cloak around her shoulders and held her at arm's length. She was hyperventilating, evidently shaken by almost being caught.

"Promise me that you will _never_ do that again!"

* * *

 **Author's note: somehow this chapter is longer than the others, but meh. If you like soap-opera style romantic drama, the next chapter should have something good in store as Kai starts getting his game on. Happy reading, and please leave a review if you liked it!**


	7. Chapter 7- Heartbreak

Chapter 7: Heartbreak

After a month in the city, Azara felt comfortable with her living. Aside from the alarming occurrence on her first day, things had gone very smoothly; she was improving in her combat training, breaking her old habits formed after years under the strict rules of an Agni-Kai. Feeling confident, she had once challenged Tymon to a rematch, in which she was rapidly bested, still unable to land a hit on him. _At least_ , she thought, _I'm beginning to land hits on Kaito_. Speaking of him, things between them had also been going very well. Within a week they had overcome their bashfulness towards each other and by then end of the next they were beginning to flirt in between training sessions. He had even asked her out to dinner once, but Tymon had insisted on tagging along, in case another identity crisis happened. Indeed, the only thing getting in between them was Tymon himself; whenever Azara felt the mood was getting good, he found any and every excuse to pull one away from the other, which annoyed her greatly. It was almost as if he was… jealous. In order to counteract this, Azara and Kaito had quietly devised a plan that would give them time, if only half an hour, all to themselves.

Thus, on a late autumn afternoon, Kaito gave her a signal and she addressed her escort.

"Hey, Ty?"

Earlier that month, Ty had taken a trip to Air Temple Island as a tourist and bought a book of airbending forms, which he now stopped practising from and turned to face her.

"What is it?"

"I- I think I forgot to bring a change of shirt today, could you go fetch one from the inn?" Now that she had said it, it seemed like a really weak excuse.

"Why can't you get it?"

"Well, er… You're the one who's always telling me how important my training is! We're right in the middle of something here could you just get it for me?"

Azara felt proud of herself; there was no way he could refuse if she used his own words against him!

He inspected the two for a doubtful moment, and then relented.

"Fine, I'll be back in ten minutes, don't get lax just because I'm gone, you hear?"

It would take him longer than ten minutes; Azara had carefully hidden her spare shirts in preparation that morning. Once they heard the outside door shut, they turned to each other and burst out laughing.

"He fell for it!" howled Kaito. "He completely fell for it!"

In the spur of the moment, Azara crunched her face into a disapproving grimace and dropped her voice to imitate her chaperone.

" _Don't get lax just because I'm gone! Hur-hur I'm the greatest thing since sliced bread!_ "

This only got them laughing harder, Azara's stomach beginning to hurt. With Tymon gone, she felt like shackles had been removed and she was free to mess around with Kaito as she pleased. Good riddance to him. After their laughter died down, she smiled at her tutor suggestively.

"So…" she began. "Now that he's out of the way, what do you say you and I… get down to business?"

She bit her lip seductively and took a step towards him, but as he moved to do the same, she ducked under his arm and twisted it, flipping him gracelessly onto the rubber floor, a move she'd learned from Ty while sparring.

"That hurt! What gives!?" he complained. Azara tutted in rebuke, now smirking teasingly.

"Unfortunately for you I'm not that easy, you're going to have to work for your reward Mr Kaito." She said, offering him a hand to get up.

* * *

In the dojo lobby, Tymon placed his head in his hands and sighed in disappointment. He'd suspected they might try something like this and on his way out had opened and closed the door to the street without going through, before moving to watch the pair through the screen door, which he'd purposefully left ajar. After spending his adolescent years alone, he'd developed a resistance to emotional attachment, not allowing it to cloud his better judgement. This would not be the case for either of them, however, and as much as he wanted happiness for his friends, allowing them to get too close could only spell disaster. So while he wished to get between them as little as he possibly could, there was only so far he could let their flirtation go.

* * *

Azara had a huge smile plastered on her face, only now did she realise what a damper Tymon put on things; she hadn't had this much fun in years! To toy with Kaito, she broadly followed the training exercise they had been doing earlier, but now and then, she would entice him in bewitchingly, only to push him away at the last second. Despite this treatment, Kaito was smiling too, treating it more as a challenge than an insult, and kept on the offensive. After several minutes of this, she surprised him by stepping into his reach, close enough to embrace, but before he could, she jumped back a little too quickly, tripping over her own feet.

"Watch out!" Kaito shouted and lunged at her as she fell, their landing abruptly ending their dance.

Dazed after her sudden impact with the floor, Azara's vision cleared after a few seconds and she breathed in sharply, realising what had happened: in trying to catch her, Kaito had fallen with her and now their position was quite personal.

Kaito lay atop her full length, his arms supporting the brunt of his weight either side of her head. Their faces had fallen close, too close, and she could feel his breath tickling her face along with an uncomfortable pressure against her groin where his legs had landed. Both startled by their position, they lay still and silent for a moment, staring alarmed at each other. Kaito was first to regain himself, and instantly went for the kill. He pressed his chest against hers until she could feel her racing heart and stroked her face softly, a look of longing in his eyes.

"Azara…" he paused, "Have I ever told you how beautiful you are?"

Not able to speak, she placed her hands against his arms and felt the rippling musculature beneath. Her body grew hot as she returned his gaze and his eyes closed, his face inching closer, closer…

It was at this moment Tymon decided to intervene, slamming open the screen door and entering the room. The couple froze, their lips a finger's breadth apart, and watched him cross the room, hardly daring to breathe. Tymon pretended not to notice them at first as he retrieved his staff from where it sat against the wall, but then he turned to stare at them, raising an eyebrow in mock surprise. Changing his expression to one of honest suspicion, he spoke:

"Am I… interrupting something?"

The two firebenders shot to their feet and stepped away from each other red in the face. Azara was first to speak.

"N-No! Of course not! We were just starting to wrap it up for today, we should probably get changed."

Tymon had flipped his emotional switch to off, and his impassive face looked particularly unimpressed. As pupil and tutor walked past him towards the changing rooms, he laid a hand on his old friend's shoulder to stop him.

"A word, if I may?" he growled, more of a demand than a request.

Azara saw this as she walked into the lobby and after a moment's hesitation at the changing room, she hurried back and pressed her ear against the screen door. She heard Tymon speak first, his voice low and uncharacteristically angry.

"And just what do you think you're doing?"

Kaito played innocent.

"I'm not sure I understand what you mean…"

"You know exactly what I'm talking about!" snapped Tymon, beginning to lose his composure. "Did you think I haven't noticed you putting moves on Azara?"

Kaito laughed mockingly.

"Oh! So _that's_ what this is about! Now now Ty my friend, is she that special to you? Because the feeling I'm getting here is that you're just a little bit jeal-"

" _SPARE ME THE CRAP KAI!_ " Tymon's words shook the walls as his airbending took hold, shocking Kaito into silence. Tymon then continued, his voice calm but equally terrifying.

"Just think about it Kai, just for one second. Getting your hands down her trousers is only going to bring you trouble in the long run, both of you. In case you've forgotten she's a Fire Nation princess, the last thing someone of her high profile wants is a sex scandal, and the last thing you want is to be mixed up in it."

"Okay, maybe I'm being a little greedy, but I can't help myself! She's just so… perfect!" Kaito had given up and resorted to grovelling, his voice pathetically whiny.

"Then I think it's high time you learned how. You need to stop letting the little head do all the thinking for the big one, and this will your first lesson, because no matter what tricks you pull, what pelvic sorcery you might use, I will _not_ let you have her!"

With this, Tymon opened the screen door and was unsurprised to find Azara listening in.

" _We'll_ talk later. I noticed you packing a spare shirt as we left, go get changed."

* * *

They walked back to the inn in silence. Once safely inside their room, Tymon told her to sit on the bed and leant on the wall to address her. He took a deep breath and looked at her not with anger, but with sympathy and a tinge of regret.

"So? What's your side of the story?"

Azara's anger at him finally boiled over.

" _My_ side of the story is that you're a jealous, meddling little bastard who can't stand to see his friend doing better than he is!"

Tymon didn't even flinch, and waited for her to continue.

"I have so much fun when I'm with Kaito and he makes my training enjoyable, not you! You have no right to come between us like you are; all you ever do is throw a wet blanket over things! Kaito's more of a man than you could ever hope to be!"

Her last statement got a reaction as Tymon narrowed his eyes slightly.

"So? Have you fallen for him?"

The question surprised Azara. Looking back, she'd seen how good looking he was and just started flirting with him without a second thought. As time went on their relationship had improved, but Azara wasn't sure whether there was anything tangible between them.

"Well… O-of course! If it wasn't for you getting in our way I'm sure we'd be all over each other by now! Don't get angry just because you're jealous!" she said this with a confidence that her mind didn't match, and he saw through her façade immediately.

"Azara, forget how I might feel for a moment and answer me honestly: have you fallen in love with Kaito?"

She paused for a moment, then lowered her head in defeat.

"No… not yet, thanks to you."

"And do you think you'll fall for him in the future?"

"…Yes." She looked up at him defiantly, and saw sympathy still in his eyes. He took a breath to steel himself.

"Then before you set your heart on him for good, I think there is something you need to see."

He walked over to the window and opened it, the sunset pouring into the room. Beckoning her over, he checked the street for witnesses and after seeing it deserted, picked Azara up and jumped out onto the ghetto roofs.

By the time they had reached the dojo, the sun had set and they were cloaked in darkness. They watched from a rooftop nearby and eventually the lights inside clicked off and Kaito emerged, locking the door behind him. As he set off down the road, Tymon gestured Azara into silence and they began to tail him, jumping noiselessly between the cramped roofs of the ghetto. This continued for about a quarter of an hour until Kaito entered a house which was tall and thin, typical for the ghettos. Lowering themselves into the derelict building opposite, Tymon walked over to the end wall, which was pockmarked with holes where electrics and plumbing would be, if not stripped out by looters for the metal. Inspecting the holes individually, he found one that showed him what he wanted, and waved Azara over.

"Here, take a look."

Peering through the peephole, she eventually adjusted to the light coming through and could make out a window in the opposing building. Through it, she saw a woman who appeared to be cooking, wearing an impractically frilly apron to do so. What surprised her more however was that she seemed to be wearing nothing else. Just as Azara was about to pull away and accuse Tymon of voyeurism, a door opened in the house, and Kaito stepped into her view. The woman skipped over happily and planted her lips on his cheek, as someone might greet a lover. Azara's mouth dropped open. Then, after parting for a moment to remove the apron, she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him on the lips, hard. As their petting got heavier, she saw Kaito's hands move to cup her breast and behind, squeezing them roughly. The lovers turned, giving her a full view and fell back onto a bed out of sight.

Unable to bear any more, she wrenched herself away from the wall and collapsed backwards onto her rear.

"Seen enough?" Tymon sat against the wall facing her, his voice coloured grey with regret.

"What the hell was that? Who is that woman!?" She was still not quite able to believe what she had just seen.

"I don't know who she is, all I know is that since I last saw Kaito three years ago, seven women have been in her place."

"But… but that can't be! Kaito couldn't do that, he _wouldn't_ do that! Would he?"

Tears began to bead in the corners of her eyes and Tymon stared forlornly at the floor in front of him.

"For all the hundred good things I can say about him, this is his one glaring flaw."

Azara began to weep, and in her anger she leapt at her escort, pinning him to the wall by the scruff of his neck.

"Why didn't you tell me?" she wailed. "Does my sadness get you off!? I hope you're having fun because I'm not!"

She began to pummel his chest feebly, before he gently caught her wrists, his expression morose.

"I should've, I really should've, but when I first learned of this Kaito made me promise never to tell anyone, and today I went back on that."

He hung his head.

"I'm not looking forward to breaking it to him."

He stood and helped Azara to her feet, putting her cloak around her and flipping up the hood. Silently he guided her to the other side of the room and dropped them into the alley beyond to start the long walk back to the inn.

* * *

Back in their room, it was Tymon's turn to sleep on the bed. He'd offered it to Azara as they entered but she'd shaken her head. While she had stopped crying, she didn't want to talk, retreating into apathy. Exhausted, he threw off his top layer of clothing and fell onto the bed, wriggling until he was covered by the blanket; they would both feel better after a nights rest. Azara flicked off the light and began to undress herself. In her current state, she probably wouldn't complain if he watched, but he turned to face the window, respecting her privacy. Closing his eyes he tried to get to sleep.

He heard Azara padding away from the light switch to do the same, but his eyes shot open when he felt a pull on the blanket and Azara slipped in behind him without a word. Her arms snaked around him and gripped tightly as she buried her face between his shoulder blades. Her skin was smooth, soft and cool to the touch and he could feel her warm breath against his back, alongside a pleasant pressure from her breasts. Pulling herself closer into him, she began to sob again, quietly. She felt used and betrayed, hating that she had fallen for Kaito's charm so easily. She also hated herself that she had let him turn her against Tymon, who had only been acting with her in mind, never complaining at his unfair treatment. She'd even forced him to break a promise to his best friend.

For the first time in years, Tymon had no idea what he should do. He wanted to sleep, to leave tomorrow's problems to tomorrow, but he simply couldn't relax himself, and Azara wasn't making it any easier. Loosening her embrace, he turned over to face her, trying very hard not to look down at her half-naked form. Placing a reassuring arm around her, he tried to say something, anything.

"Azara… if there's any way I can-"

His voice caught in his throat as she looked up to him. Her cobalt eyes were stained with tears and yearning. This man had saved her life and was now risking his dwindling friendships to keep her safe. For a moment, she felt something tangible between them. Moving her hands to his shoulders, her lips parted invitingly and her eyes slid shut as the distance between them closed, and their lips connected. After several seconds' shocked silence, Tymon drew out of the kiss and met her eyes, now filled with more than simple yearning. Breathing heavily, she tightened her grip around his neck and leaned in again…

And was stopped as Tymon placed his fingers against her lips.

"Azara… I'm sorry. I have no idea how you must be feeling, but this isn't going to fix things… I think you should sleep, you'll feel better in the morning."

She realised he was right: what healed a broken heart was not titillation, but time. Turning away from him, she snuggled back into his arms, pulling one into her chest; she felt a cosy warmth spreading into her. Tymon was about to move to the bedroll, but stopped when he felt her slow, regular breathing: she had fallen asleep. Resigning himself to his fate, he brushed her hair lightly out of his face and joined her.

* * *

Tymon woke to find his arms empty. Sitting up, he noticed Azara's clothes were gone, but her cloak remained; perhaps she had gone to wash her face. Rising out of bed, he began to dress. As he finished, Azara returned, a towel draped around her shoulders. The pair stared at each other for a time before Tymon broke the silence.

"How're you feeling?"

She broke eye contact to look at the floor timidly.

"You were right, I feel a lot better after sleeping on it. I… I'm really sorry, about last night."

Tymon shook his head gently.

"Don't worry about it; it's my fault too."

They remained in an awkward silence for a minute before Azara walked up to him, taking a deep breath.

"I just want to say it again. I'm sorry… and…" she rose onto the balls of her feet to plant a kiss on his cheek.

"…Thank you."

* * *

 **Author's note: bit of a long 'un, but I've been looking forward to this chapter ever since I started, I can only hope I did justice to the script in my head. On the bright side, ONE person has now followed and favourited the story, w00t! Big thanks to them.**

 **Next chapter our heroes must face Kaito and fix this whole mess, I have a good idea what to write so it should be out in the next few days or so.**


	8. Chapter 8- Conflict of interest

Chapter 8: Conflict of interest

The walk to Kaito's dojo was painfully awkward. After the events of last night and that morning, Azara felt slightly uncomfortable around Tymon, and he himself was absorbed in his own thoughts, wondering how he might preserve his friendship after breaking such an important promise. Considering what Azara saw, there was no way she'd treat him as she had been, he could only hope that Kaito attributed that to her losing interest. Kaito was no fool, however, and Tymon had a bad feeling he'd figure it out right away. It was probably best just to tell him outright, but he just couldn't bring himself to do it. Dread gnawed at his stomach, and spending the first half of the day thinking about it had not helped to calm his nerves. _This_ was why he tried not to get attached to people.

Distracted by his daydreaming, he almost missed the final turning to the dojo and Azara had to pull on his arm to stop him. He jumped as he came back to reality and spun round to face her, realising what he had done after a few seconds. Maintaining her grip on his arm, Azara moved closer to look at him face to face. He had gone pale, and while he was wearing an expression of cool determination, his eyes betrayed his anxiety.

"Ty… are you all right?" She already knew the answer, but talking about it would do him good. She hoped. Ty let out a frustrated sigh

"…No. I still can't think how I'm going to tell Kai. He'll notice how you'll behave differently towards him, and it won't take him long to put two and two together. I know I should tell it to his face, but… I'm scared. I'm scared how he's going to react. My friends are spread thin around the world, few and far between… I can't afford to lose many more."

Azara smiled kindly. It warmed her heart that he trusted her enough to talk about it. She tried to reassure him.

"Is Kaito really the kind of guy who would come to hate you over one broken promise?"

"…I don't know. It was a pretty big promise to break."

"Well _I_ think he'll understand. It may take some convincing, but promises get broken all the time. He may view women as being… disposable, but you're more than that to him, aren't you? Of the 100 good qualities you said he had, is forgiveness one of them? Failing that, being reasonable must be in there, right?"

Considering this for a moment, Ty regained his composure.

"I guess you're right. If one broken promise is enough to destroy our friendship, were we really so great friends to begin with? Thanks… for hearing me out, I mean."

Azara smiled again.

"Anytime. Now stand up straight; seeing you all apprehensive like this make me feel uncomfortable!"

She said this as she slapped him companionably on the back, causing him to jump. She winced and clutched her fingers which throbbed with pain; his back muscles felt like the dojo's rubber flooring!

"Ha! Serves you right!" said Tymon, playfulness returning to his voice.

"Now let's go; standing out here won't fix things."

* * *

While Azara had helped calm him down a little, Tymon couldn't quite shake the fear that Kaito might do something rash when he found out. Regardless, their training progressed rather uneventfully into the evening, when Kaito decided to start teaching Azara the use of lightning. As with all beginners, she began by forming a small spark, which blew up as she lost her concentration, sending her flying across the room. On cue, Kaito rushed to her side and bent down to help her up. Normally she would've accepted without a second thought, but today she brushed him off.

"I'm fine, let's try again."

Kaito expression changed, and Tymon felt his stomach drop. He'd noticed…

Despite this, they continued to train without issue, and after a couple of hours, Azara could at least _handle_ a rail of lightning without blowing herself up. They decided to call it there for the day and headed towards the changing rooms, but as Tymon walked past his friend, Kaito laid a hand on his shoulder, his words sending a ripple of déja vu up Azara's spine.

"A word, if I may?"

As with the previous day, Azara continued into the lobby and listened from there. After a pause, Kaito spoke again.

"You've told her, haven't you?"

Tymon nodded slowly. Grabbing him by his collar, Kaito lifted him off the ground and slammed him against the wall.

"Why'd you do it!? Just because you're jealous? Because you want to get _your_ hands in her pants rather than mine?"

Tymon replied, his voice choked by Kaito's grip.

"I did it because I had to. What was I meant to do? Sit quietly and watch while you ruined her life? You were deceiving her, and I wasn't about to let that happen!"

With a roar, Kaito threw Ty onto the ground, where he rolled to his feet in a fighting stance. Kaito ripped off his shirt and threw it to the ground.

"An Agni-Kai! Right here, right now! I'll make you regret what you've done to me!"

Straightening himself up, Tymon let his hands fall to his sides in a gesture of peace.

"What's the matter?" Kaito shouted. "Too chicken to fight me?"

Remaining calm, Tymon tried to reason with him.

"Kai, we've both done things we should regret but I don't want to fight you over this. I didn't abduct a Fire Princess and bring her here illegally for a bit of fun. Her brother tried to have her killed to get to the Fire Lord's throne and spirits only know what he'll do when he gets there. Azara is the only person who can stop him without starting a war and I simply couldn't let you destroy her like that. This isn't worth fighting over."

Kai seemed unconvinced.

"Not worth it!?" He spat. "Is that all our promise… our friendship means to you!?"

This struck a nerve. Clenching his fists, Tymon took a stance again and beckoned his friend to attack.

"Fine. Have it your way."

* * *

Azara could only watch in horror as the two men clashed. Kaito's limbs were a blur, sending balls of orange flame this way and that to places where Tymon was, and where he would move. His speed enhanced by his airbending, Tymon dodged these with little effort, his movements erratic and unpredictable, but always inching closer to his opponent. Once he'd gotten close enough, Kaito switched tactics and formed two whips from his flames, which hummed through the air as he struck at his friend. Now that he was closer, Kaito's attacks had become harder to dodge, and Tymon jumped back out of the range of his whips, which lashed at the floor where he had been standing. In an Agni-Kai, Tymon was at a disadvantage as a single hit from Kaito would burn him, ending the fight. Unable to use fire of his own, Tymon could only win by incapacitating him or wearing him to the point of exhaustion.

"Stop dancing around and fight me like a man!" roared Kaito. This was good, the angrier he was, the more likely he would mistakes. Dispelling his whips, he growled as sparks leapt from his fingers, the smell of ozone wafting through the air. Acting quickly, Tymon tore a decorative sword from the wall and plunged it between the rubber plates of the floor. Stepping away, he looked up just in time to see Kaito loose a bolt at his chest, which bent away from him as it took the path of least resistance, striking the earthed sword to his right. Seizing his chance, Tymon whipped his leg around, blasting Kaito off his feet before another jet of air slammed him against the opposite wall, making Tymon wince. He saw that Kaito had no chance of winning and didn't wish to hurt him, so he had been pulling his punches, but as he saw Kaito drag himself to his feet, fire in his hands and in his eyes, he realised that would no longer be possible. The pair leapt at each other and began the fastest and most frenzied fistfight Azara had ever seen. Punches and kicks flew, interspersed with jets of flame and gusts of wind, but neither party could manage to land a square hit on the other. Their dance ended when Tymon met a raging fireball with a concentrated blast of air, the resulting explosion throwing the two fighters apart to opposite ends of the room. They eyed each other for a moment. Both were sweating and breathing heavily, and they reached a silent agreement: the next blow would end this.

Time seemed to slow down as the men prepared for their final strikes: Kaito focused all his remaining energy into his flame, its brightness casting sharp shadows across the room. In response Tymon gathered a huge quantity of air and compressed it into a tight sphere which radiated a burning heat. Then, simultaneously, they attacked. Kaito unleashed a colossal conflagration at his opponent, a white-hot jet of lethal wildfire. Without hesitation, Tymon answered this by loosing the compressed air in Kai's direction, the destructive power of a hurricane concentrated into a narrow stream of unstoppable force. Wind and fire met, and were annihilated. The resulting concussive blast threw Azara off her feet, tearing the screen door from its fixtures and blowing out the dojo windows, followed by a deathly silence.

The rapid decompression of Tymon's air ball had chilled their surroundings to a frigid iciness and a thick mist hovered over the dojo. Picking herself up, Azara stumbled over to where the two fighters would be and waited to see the result. As the mist cleared, the victor was revealed. Tymon had collapsed onto one knee and was panting hard, his breath ragged and dry. Opposite him, Kaito lay groaning on the floor, unable to fight any longer. Kaito's body was painted in negative on the wall next to him, where the initial backdraft of flames had charred the rubber around his outline. The wall was set alight in several places, but the lights quickly died on the fire-retardant material. Staggering over to his fallen friend, Tymon flopped onto the ground next to him, his voice hoarse and strained.

"I think that's a win for me…" he croaked, "What does that make the score? Two to one?

Kaito chuckled faintly. "Damn leaf blower… you've gotten better since I last saw you. What were we fighting over again?"

It was Ty's turn to laugh. "You've improved too Kai, I'm sure you'll get me next time."

Azara could only watch in awe as the two men helped each other to stand.

"No hard feelings?" Tymon asked.

"No hard feelings." came the reply.

"So how about it? Still want me to teach that princess of yours?" Kaito said this looking over to where Azara stood.

"If you would. Just try to keep your hands to yourself this time, would you?"

"Oh don't worry; I know better than anyone there are plenty other fish in the sea!"

With this, the pair shuffled slowly towards the changing rooms, both grinning and giggling idiotically. Azara inserted herself between them to act as a support, and almost crumpled under their combined weight.

"So you've made up now, after conversing with your fists?"

The whole process had mystified her, when she and her girlfriends had fallen out, the war of attrition would last weeks while they stared daggers in each other's direction, neither one deigning to talk to the other. These two on the other hand had come to a compromise in mere minutes.

"Pretty much." replied Kaito. "Looking back it was pretty childish of me to get angry at him over just a broken promise, he even felt sorry about it, so it was my bad."

"Oh yeah, I'm also sorry about the door, and the windows." Said Tymon, looking back at the aftermath of their fight.

"Don't worry about it." Kaito reassured. "It happens all the time. I've got a cushy insurance deal on this place so it won't cost me a penny! ...

…Hopefully."

* * *

 **Author's note: Short, but sweet. It deviated a bit from my original plan, but I think I prefer it this way. If you wanted to see Azara fight with her new skills, look forward to a chapter in the near future, where you'll also see some more familiar faces…**


	9. Chapter 9- On the road again

Chapter 9: On the road again

And so the days continued and extended into two more weeks in Republic City. Azara's training progressed at full pace and she was now well on her way to mastering lightning, though the training hall and battlefield would prove to require very different masteries indeed. To teach her to fight as a group, she would pair up with Kaito to fight Tymon two-to-one in a mock Agni-Kai. Both men were consciously holding themselves back, but soon the pair was able to win their training rounds. At least, some of the time. The tensions between Azara and Kaito had smoothed themselves out nicely and he was much more open, treating her more like a friend than a potential love interest. After only a few days she felt like she'd known him for years. _That's probably why Ty and he can still be friends_. She thought.

One day however this peaceful routine was destroyed abruptly. While Azara and Kaito finished their training, Tymon had gone into the market to buy food, now able to trust his friend to keep his pants on. He bought bread and cured meats among other things that wouldn't need cooking to eat for breakfast tomorrow, but on the way back, he passed a newsstand with a headline that troubled him greatly:

 _Royal renegade runs to Republic, but can't hide for much longer!_

 _One month ago, the Fire Nation PR Princess Azara disappeared under mysterious circumstances. One week ago, circumstances were demystified when it was found that she had gone into hiding after a failed plot to frame her brother, Prince Zhao. Today, the Fire Nation Police Department confirmed that she had fled to Republic City and negotiations are now underway with RCPD to look for her within the city, there is even talk of Chief Beifong's elite group of metalbenders joining the search party…_

Upon reading this, Tymon's eyes widened slightly, but he retained his composure. Buying a copy of the paper, he set back towards the dojo walking just slightly faster than normal.

The dojo doors slammed open and Ty strode in with an urgent look on his face.

"What's wrong, Ty?" asked the princess, sensing his discomfort. Ty walked over and handed the newspaper to her.

"Bad news."

Taking up the paper, Azara read the lead article and her jaw dropped. Behind her, Kaito did the same.

"Frame prince Zhao… metalbenders… search party… What's going on?" Kaito asked.

"Long story short, Zhao knows we're here and it won't be long until we have people knocking on our bedroom door asking for a quick autograph before we're arrested. We need to leave and soon, tonight would be best."

"But we can't just up and leave! I haven't finished my training!" Azara protested.

"You were never going to finish it here in the first place. Luckily Kai has taught the basics of just about everything but mastery comes only with time, which we never had much of to begin with. We'll continue your training on the road. Please Azara, I know it's hard to tear up roots but you've done it before and now you need to do it again." An atypical desperation was rising in his voice.

"…Okay, we'll leave tonight, but how? Even if no one is searching for us yet, they'll be keeping tabs on the roads and ports out of here to keep us trapped, won't they?"

"Probably, but the news didn't know you had a partner or that we can fly. It's looking like it'll be a cloudy night tonight which will offer decent cover once we're off the ground, we can fly over the bay mountains and into the forests beyond. From there we'll head south into the Earth Kingdom, where there's one more place I want to take you. Sound like a plan to you?"

Azara nodded and they turned to Kaito. Azara walked over and held out a hand to shake.

"Well… I guess this is goodbye. We had a rocky start I guess, but I'm really grateful to you for teaching me, and I hope we'll meet again sometime soon." Clasping her hand firmly he replied:

"Don't worry about it; I'm used to Ty taking off like he always does. Just make sure the next time I see you it's not behind bars, okay?"

They both laughed, and after the two friends had exchanged a brief farewell, Azara and Tymon left for the inn to gather their things.

* * *

The flight out of the city that night was a tense affair. They had strapped their packs to the glider and flew in tandem as they had leaving Ember Island over a month ago, only this time, a fall would mean certain death. Flying up through the clouds had drenched them to the bone, the freezing mountain air threatening to cut their journey short, but they landed shivering on the other side and hastily set up a fire to dry themselves off. After eating a small meal they slept around the campfire and set off walking the next morning.

"Say, why did you go to all the trouble of getting that glider if we aren't going to use it to travel? It would be much faster than plain walking!"

While the yellowing trees had sheltered them from the bulk of the sun's heat, Azara was sweaty and exhausted after only a few hours.

"It's just too easy to spot during the day. Once we're far enough from any big cities we can risk flying, but no matter how amazing you think I am, I can't fly with you and our supplies for more than an hour or two before tiring out. The evening would be the best time."

Disappointed, Azara trudged on, deciding to look at the scenery to take her mind off things. Some leaves had begun to fall off the trees and danced magically in the autumn breeze, sending fleeting shadows across her vision as they played with the sunlight filtering through the canopy. Birds sung sweetly in the branches overhead, their calls echoing around her. She craned her neck to search for them and saw a few: small, brown starlings that had found mates and were beginning to makes nests in preparation for the winter.

She was wrenched from her tranquil reverie when she walked into a tree, choking as a branch hit her throat. Upon closer inspection the tree turned out to be Tymon, who stood stock still, holding an arm out to keep her back.

"Ugh, what the hell do you-"

"Shh!" Tymon hissed.

He was crouching defensively, and had his eyes closed, listening. Slowly reaching into the folds of his cloak, he drew out the mask of the Blue Spirit and tied it around his head, drawing his hood over to hide it.

"We have company."

* * *

From behind Azara head a rustling in the undergrowth. Turning to face it, she saw 3 people emerge from the bushes, two men and a woman. Upon recognition, her eyes widened. Five years ago, her father General Iroh had taken her to an event celebrating the success of harmonic convergence and she had seen these people there. The two men were brothers, both had short, black hair, but one was tall and lean while the other was shorter and thicker set: Mako and Bo-Lin. The woman with them was none other than Avatar Korra herself.

"Princess Azara, we've come to take you home."

Azara was frozen to the spot. She had met the Avatar on occasion and she had seemed a nice person, but her experience with her guards at the Ember Island villa had made her much more wary of promises of safety. Tymon was facing away and hadn't reacted to their presence, remaining still and silent, waiting for them to make a move. She backed up to try and put him between them, at which point he looked at her, making his mind up, and began to speak.

"The Avatar… and friends." He addressed the group. Avatar Korra spoke in return.

"Who are you? We weren't told there would be two of you."

"Who I am isn't important, but know that the princess will not be leaving with you today; not if I can help it."

This annoyed the trio and the shorter brother piped up.

"Ooh, real scary! If you're so tough, why don't you show us your face? Too chicken!?"

"Bo-Lin, stop!" his brother scolded.

While his face was hidden, Azara could practically feel Tymon's smirk. Turning around slowly, he removed the hood and cast his cloak and pack to the side, revealing his mask in all its gruesome glory.

"My face?" He questioned. "I think you'll find I have far more… memorable features." He finished in a low growl.

The sight of his mask set their attackers into motion, and the three benders each took a stance with their respective elements in hand. The Avatar chose water, which she extracted from a pouch around her waist.

"Princess, we've come after you on the request of your father, he knows you're in a difficult situation, but he just wants you to come home. Please, leave this man and come back with us. I don't want to have to force you."

Azara felt torn. The assassination attempt had convinced her home wasn't a safe place to be, but the Avatar's offer still seemed so… inviting.

"I can't; it's not safe for me at home. Ty-… this man is keeping me safe for now, but tell Father I'll be coming home in the future."

The Avatar's expression hardened.

"It looks like you're leaving us no choice."

With that, the Avatar attacked. Launching a stream of water at Tymon, he answered with a gust of supercooled air which blew it backward, solidifying instantly on her skin and clothes. A surprised look frozen on her face, she toppled over encased in a thin layer of ice and her friends reacted instantly.

"He's a waterbender! Split up!" shouted Mako. The two brothers jumped apart, each hurling their own attacks in Tymon's direction. He dodged the fireball and used a concentrated blast of air to disintegrate the rock flying towards him, mimicking earthbender movements to confuse them. He backed to where Azara stood and spoke quickly.

"The firebender can't fight too hard in a flammable forest and he doesn't want to hurt you. Take him on, but be careful. I'll go after his brother."

Azara nodded and took off her cloak and pack before running towards the taller brother. They squared off for a moment before she took a shot and their combat began. As they fought, she could see him holding himself back, and their fight felt easy, much like her training sessions with Kai. She relished in this sense of power, perhaps this was how Tymon felt every day?

An explosive jet of blue flame sent Mako flying backwards and he collided with a tree before crumpling limp to the floor. Wincing slightly at the sound, she took a moment to revel in her victory before turning to look for Ty.

His battle was much more heated, the earthbender having no qualms about hurting him. Despite this, Ty was relaxed and continued in his earthbending mimicry, much to the dismay of his opponent. He was effortlessly dodging the pillars of earth that erupted under his feet, and any rocks hurled at him were swiftly dispatched, breaking them as if with his fists.

"What kind of waterbender are you!?" shouted Bo-Lin in horror at the semi-Avatar before him.

Deciding he'd toyed with him enough, Tymon gathered himself and unleashed a tempest at Bo-Lin, who was thrown into the air before crashing into the side of a bank, where he lay groaning, unable to fight further. Azara skipped over to her escort, buzzing with excitement.

"I did it Ty, I won! I knocked him out against a tree!"

Tymon laughed. "Well done! But did you check he was unconscious?"

"…No, why?"

"…Oh shit!"

His mood fell instantly and he snapped around to look, but all too late. The recovered Mako flashed a bolt of white lightning which struck him directly in the chest. The shock sent convulsions through his body and his blood felt like fire, he fell to his knees screaming as the electricity flowed. Azara could only look on in terror. With the last of his remaining strength, Tymon struck out and threw Mako off his feet, where he collided with a rock, finally finishing him off.

Tymon fell with his opponent; the last of his energy drained; and lay only barely conscious in the soft earth of the forest floor. His vision was blurred, his breath was faltering and residual electric charges sent tremors through his body. The last thing he saw was Azara running towards him, screaming something he couldn't hear before he slipped into blank darkness.

* * *

 **Author's note: A bit meh, if I'm going to be totally honest. I'm not so good at these intermittent events so I wasn't as motivated to do this one and it really shows. Still, it is necessary for the show to go on and I'll be glad when I get to write the bit I'm really going to enjoy. See you then!**


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